This pumpkin muffin recipe with cream cheese and streusel topping are beyond words. The combination of cream cheese and pumpkin pie filling works seamlessly in this deliciously easy recipe topped with crunchy streusel and a cheesecake glaze.
3 tablespoonsbutter cold and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoonsrolled oats
2 tablespoonsall purpose flour
Muffin Batter
2 ½ cupsall purpose flour
1tablespoonpumpkin pie spice
2teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonsalt
½cupbrown sugar
½cupwhite sugar
1 10 ouncespumpkin pureecan
½cupvegetable oil
½cupmilk
3eggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Cream Cheese Glaze
2tablespoonscream cheese room temperature
½cuppowdered sugar
¼teaspoonvanilla
salta pinch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C and grease a 12 cup muffin tin (or 6 cup jumbo muffin tin).
Steps to make Cream Cheese Filling
Put the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla into a small mixing bowl, and use and electric mixer to blend together until smooth. Put the mixture into your freezer while you prepare the muffin batter.
Steps to make Streusel Topping
Put the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter pieces, oats and flour into a bowl. Use your fingers (or a pastry cutter) to blend until it comes together with the butter in as small of pieces as possible. Put the mixture in the fridge until needed.
Steps to make Muffin Batter
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar and sugar and set aside.
Put the pumpkin, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla into a separate mixing bowl, and use your hand mixture to puree until combined and smooth.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and use your hand mixer again to blend together until combined - do not over mix.
Spoon about ⅓ of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin, then use two spoons (or an ice cream scoop) to put a generous dollop of the cream cheese mixture on top. Cover with the remaining batter, making sure to not fill the muffin cups too full.
Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel topping on each muffin, then bake in the oven for about 15 mins, or until a toothpick test comes out clean.
Steps to make Cream Cheese Glaze
While the muffins are baking, make the cream cheese glaze by using your mixer again to beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.
Allow the muffins to cool before removing them from the muffin tin, then drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the top, using a pastry bag or a zip lock with the corner snipped off.
Recipe Notes
Add chocolate chips to the pumpkin batter to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
For extra crunchy in the streusel topping, add some chopped walnuts, almonds, or chopped pecans.
Instead of all-purpose flour, use a gluten-free flour variant like whole wheat flour or rice flour to make gluten-free pumpkin muffins.
To reduce the calories, I recommend substituting the whole milk for almond milk, the veggie oil for coconut oil or canola oil, and the granulated sugar for coconut sugar or erythritol.
Make sure the dairy products for the batter are at room temperature. This makes it easier for the ingredients to incorporate together.